Although conservative religious voices have long dominated the national conversation on abortion, progressive clergy have been part of the movement to advance reproductive rights since before Roe v. Wadelegalized abortion in 1973.

Over the past few weeks, progressive faith leaders have been speaking out against a slate of bills that dramatically curtail women’s access to safe, legal abortions.

On Tuesday, Alabama’s Republican-controlled Senate passed a controversial bill that makes performing abortions at any stage of pregnancy a felony offense. The legislation would essentially create a near-total ban on the procedure, except in cases where the life of the pregnant person is at risk.

The Senate rejected an amendment that would have allowed abortions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. All 25 of the state senators who voted in favor of the bill were white men.

/Blake Paterson / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) discusses a bill that would virtually outlaw abortion in the state while visiting a car factory at Montgomery on May 15, 2019. Ivey, who has described herself as opposing abortion, said she has not yet reviewed the legislation or made a decision on whether to sign it.

If Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signs the bill, it would go into effect within six months and become the country’s strictest abortion ban.

Earlier this year, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Mississippi passed laws banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy ― long before many women realize they are pregnant.

Members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, an interfaith group that advocates for abortion rights and is based in Washington, D.C., said that Alabama’s “uncommonly harsh” bill was an affront to their religious convictions.

“These laws are designed and supported by elected officials who speak of their conservative Christianity as though it were the only authentic religious point of view. It isn’t,” the coalition said in a statement.

“We are Christians, Jews, people of other faiths and of no faith, and we demand accountability from our elected officials in protecting religious liberty, which requires ensuring that no one set of religious beliefs is ever imposed on us all. That’s our right as Americans.”

On Twitter, progressive women of faith chimed in.

I serve on the @PPFA National Clergy Advocacy Board. I believe my faith calls me to advocate for healthcare and access to abortion. Denying access is barbaric, inhumane, and devalues family values. https://t.co/3TewrHr3ND

This is not about saving babies. This is about controlling women. Controlling our health care, our relationships, our sexual practices, our earning power, our autonomy. It's about making us dependent on men as women historically have been. We are not going back there.

Here’s why I call it #ReproductiveSlavery: A man can rape a woman or a girl and legally force her to give birth and then in many cases sue for joint custody or visitation and insert himself into her life for the next 18 years. Abusive partners will do this.

Lila, you can believe what you want & you have every right to hold those beliefs but be honest - you do not believe that a woman has agency over her own body. No one is pro-abortion, it’s a painful and traumatic decision for many - this is about being pro-choice. https://t.co/vyNCeAVUXr

When you deny women healthcare options, there is trauma. Period. And I hear about it. Those politicians don't. Because they don't care about women, their families, and their trauma. But trust me, as one who sits at the bedside and holds hands--these laws are evil.

Your periodic reminder that religious women seek abortions, too. And that denying them that right can be a denial of their religious freedoms — because the decision to terminate can actually be *endorsed* by clergy. https://t.co/TdSXfnTcFj

At some point you have to ask yourself why Republicans are obsessed with this issue, but not prison reform or humane and moral immigration laws or ending family separation at the border or supporting vulnerable women and children. https://t.co/aCQAJcCAWY

And yes, this Evangelical imposition onto national secular law is a violation of Jews' (and Muslims', and etc) right to practice our faiths. My tradition, in any case, even requires abortion in some cases. Thread on that: https://t.co/E3yngI7SlU

<i>Bailey, a clergywoman for the African Methodist Episcopal Church, on the (s)heroes who inspired her feminism:&nbsp;</i><br><br>"As a Christian leader, my feminism means daily affirming the full humanity and capabilities of women as part of God's beloved creation and their sacred work in the world. It also means honoring the sacrifices, courage and labor of the many female saints of God that it made it possible for me to wear my clerical robe and preach the gospel of Jesus. Historic figures like Jarena Lee, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie paved the way for me as did the unsung (s)heroes and everyday church mothers whose work has kept the church alive and flourishing since its inception. We still have a long way to go to completely shatter the stained glass ceiling but the ancestors have shown is it is possible by holding to God's unchanging hand. Blessed be her Holy Name."